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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561263">Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon'>LexLemon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cliff is the sad one and Rick has to cheer him up for once, Hurt/Comfort, I rated it T since it’s a heavy subject matter, M/M, New Year's Eve, Pre-Canon, Rick Dalton has a heart, Rick and Cliff will always have each other’s backs, difficult conversations</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 01:14:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,830</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561263</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LexLemon/pseuds/LexLemon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cliff has never been a fan of New Year’s, and tonight’s the night Rick learns why.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cliff Booth/Rick Dalton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>“Happy New Year!” she says three days later.</p><p>Anyway, I hope you like this belated New Year’s fic featuring our two favorite guys! :)</p><p>Title comes from “Auld Lang Syne”</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“<em>It won’t be long.</em></p><p>
  <em>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It won’t be long.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.”</em>
</p><p>Rick Dalton let the new rock and roll sound surround him as his legs grooved through the throng of people covering the area. He didn't know half of the people there, and he probably never would. That was the mystery of Los Angeles. Every other person you met had been in front of some type of camera, and you would never even know it.</p><p>Frankly, Rick was just happy to be a part of it all. A <em>Bounty</em> <em>Law</em> guest star had invited him to a party he was hosting for New Year's, and he jumped at the first chance he could to say yes. L.A. parties were a big deal in the acting business, especially for someone in his position.</p><p>Now that his show was over, Rick was looking to branch out and get his face on a much bigger screen. So far, he'd had little luck in finding a director or producer that was interested in him, but that didn't stop his good mood from coming out all night. The new year was right on his tail, which meant new opportunities were just around the corner. And Rick had the strongest feeling in his gut that 1964 was going to definitely be his year.</p><p>Rick was double-fisting two drinks as he weaved through the crowd, making his way towards the back of the yard. As he pushed past a chattering pair of girls, he was greeted to the soft face of his boyfriend looking at him with a relieved smile.</p><p>Cliff Booth had been talking to an actor on some secret agent show, a guy he'd never even met before this evening. He'd tried his best to keep the conversation going while Rick was gone, but there was only so much a stuntman could talk about with the other side of his field. So seeing his partner return to him with a perfect Bloody Mary in his hand was everything he could have asked for in the moment.</p><p>Cliff quickly grabbed the drink from Rick and took a long sip, barely listening to what the two actors were saying.</p><p>Gesturing to the band finishing out their song, the secret agent actor said, "It really won't be long now, huh?"</p><p>"Yeah, yeah. W-We don't got much t-t-time left now," Rick added.</p><p>"Can you believe it? I feel like this year just started."</p><p>"Yeah, you're t-t-tellin' me. But I-I-I got a good f-f-feelin' 'bout next year."</p><p>"Oh really?"</p><p>"You bet. '64 is goin' to b-be Rick Dalton's fuckin' year."</p><p>"Hey, I'll take your word for it."</p><p>The two men laughed with one another before Rick caught Cliff's glance out of the corner of his eye.</p><p>Holding his drink up, Cliff said, "I'm going to go mingle."</p><p>"Alright." Rick waved him off and watched as his boyfriend disappeared into the clamoring party.</p><p>He then turned back to the actor and continued their conversation, talking about everything from shitty costars to audition horror stories. Rick had gotten so deep into both the conversation and his margarita that he was jolted out of them by the host yelling in the distance, "Ten minutes!"</p><p>Everyone in the yard let out a cheer as they held up their drinks, the noises ranging from hollers to full-on battle cries.</p><p>Rick laughed to himself as he lowered his arm, already feeling exhilarated to enter the new year. But as he looked out at the sea of happy faces surrounding him, a sinking feeling entered his body when he found that one face was missing.</p><p>"Hey, have you seen Cliff?" Rick asked the secret agent actor.</p><p>He shrugged. "Not since he left us."</p><p>"Shit. I-I-I'll be right back."</p><p>Rick then moved through the crowd and turned his head in every direction, hoping to find a sign of his friend among them. Growing desperate, he eventually started asking people if they'd seen him, but most of them were too drunk to even notice him.</p><p>Panic surged through Rick as he scoured every inch of the yard. Of course he fucked this up. Why was he even surprised? He fucked up everything in his life. And now, he was starting the new year off by losing the one person he cared about. It was fitting, really.</p><p>Rick soon found a beehive-headed blonde in a tight pink dress resting up against a wall of the house and ran over to her.</p><p>"'Scuse me," he said. "Do you know if C-Cliff Booth is 'round here? H-H-He's 'bout my height, got long hair-"</p><p>"Does he look a little like you?"</p><p>Rick's face couldn't help but soften up at the comment. The studio really had done right by hiring Cliff as his double, hadn't they?</p><p>Failing to hold back a smile, Rick nodded. "Yeah, he d-does, actually."</p><p>The blonde pointed her thumb towards the house. "I think I saw him head towards the front lawn."</p><p>Rick let out a sigh of relief. All wasn't lost just yet. He still had a chance. Waving to the girl as he ran off, he said, "Thanks!"</p><p>Rick ran through the house and found several people mingling inside, none of them being Cliff. It wasn't until he reached the front door that he was finally able to breathe again.</p><p>Cliff's back was turned to him as he sat on the front stoop, his empty Bloody Mary glass sitting beside him. The clicking sound of a lighter echoed in the air, and Rick could smell the cigarette smoke as he stood over him.</p><p>"Cliff?"</p><p>Cliff shivered in his seat and turned to look up at Rick, a small breath leaving his throat. "Hey, Rick. You done already?"</p><p>"What? No way! I-It ain't even m-m-midnight yet. That's wh-wh-what I was c-comin' to tell you. We only g-got a f-few minutes left."</p><p>Cliff gave him an absent wave. "Eh, you go on without me. I'll celebrate right here."</p><p>Rick furrowed his brows together and placed his hands on his hips. He didn't like being on the other side of things. Cliff was usually the one pushing him to do things while he was the stubborn ass. Well, two could play this game.</p><p>Sitting beside him, Rick said, "Cliff, I ain't f-fuckin' celebratin' without you. New Year's ain't s-somethin' you do alone."</p><p>"Shit, I'm no good at parties. It's...It's a lot, Rick."</p><p>"But I t-t-told you you could s-s-stay with m-me the whole time. So what's the problem?"</p><p>Cliff held his cigarette out as he looked down at the grass, the corner of his mouth twitching by the second. He said in a quiet voice, "I'm just not in a celebrating mood."</p><p>Rick let out a baffled chuckle. "But you were fine before. Wh-What happened?"</p><p>Rick had never seen this broken, quiet side of Cliff before, and he hated it. This wasn't the Cliff he loved so much. This wasn't the Cliff that could take a man down in one punch or always find a way to cheer him up. This Cliff was a shell of the real one. And right now, he wanted the real Cliff back more than anything.</p><p>Cliff gave Rick a quick glance before letting out a sigh. He should have known he wasn't going to win the moment Rick sat down with him. He was nosy like that. He always pushed you until he got what he wanted.</p><p>Still unable to look at him, Cliff threw his cigarette on the ground. "My...dad, he...left us on New Year's when I was a kid."</p><p>He kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke, making him unable to see Rick's eyes widen before him. His tone was oozing with bitterness, like he was going to blow his top at any second, and his lips slowly curled into a sneer the longer he went on. It was as if it was a story he had told too many times before and was tired of having to do it.</p><p>"I was six. It was right before 1930, so things were just starting to get to shit for everyone. And right before midnight, the old man said he wanted to go out and get something special to celebrate, but he'd be right back. And we waited and waited and ended up having to celebrate without him. And we never saw him again." Cliff picked his head up for a moment to look out at the empty street. "Mom told me when I was older that they had already been fighting a lot before then, so...she knew he wasn't dead."</p><p>Rick felt his heart stop the longer he sat and listened, the corners of his eyes brimming with tears. He wanted to do something to help ease his boyfriend's pain, but he couldn't will his body to move. Instead, his voice choked out, "Holy shit. Cliff, I'm...I had no idea."</p><p>Cliff shook his head and waved him off. "It usually doesn't affect me. I don't let it anymore. It happened. I'm over it. But New Year's-" He made a bitter smile, "-Fucking New Year's. That still gets me."</p><p>Breaking out of his stupor, Rick moved himself closer and wrapped his arm around him. "I'd say I'm s-s-s-sorry, but that don't s-seem like it's g-goin' to cut it."</p><p>"Yeah, you got that right."</p><p>Rick took a deep breath. "But I can say th-that you got me. I-I-I promise that I'll always b-be right here for you. Y-You ain't losin' m-m-me that easy."</p><p>Cliff found that he had enough energy to chuckle, a small smile forming on his face. Turning to Rick with misty eyes, he asked, "You promise? You're not going to...find another stuntman you can fuck when you're a big movie star?"</p><p>"Shit, you kiddin'? Th-There's no one else l-like you, Cliff. I want to s-s-spend every New Year's of the r-r-rest of my life with you. You're c-celebratin' with me, partner. I promise."</p><p>Cliff found himself fully smiling as he heard the sincerity in Rick's words. The warmth in his eyes told him everything he needed to hear, and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that they were all true. Rick wanted him. He would always want him. And if he had him, he knew that he was never going to be lonely again.</p><p>Resting his head on Rick's shoulder, Cliff said, "Thank you."</p><p>Just then, the party guests' voices shouted from the backyard, counting down to the new year. When they reached the end, their shouts were louder than ever before, and they were mingled with the sounds of bottle corks popping and splashes in the pool.</p><p>Rick didn't even want to be a part of it anymore. He was right where he needed to be.</p><p>Rick kissed Cliff's head then pressed his cheek to it, looking out at the dark horizon where his bright future waited for him. "Happy new year, darlin'."</p><p>"Happy new year, Rick."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Songs referenced:</p><p>“It Won’t Be Long”-The Beatles: https://youtu.be/UVKU6SevefY</p></blockquote></div></div>
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